An Exercise in Love
for Jackson Allen
My friend wears my scarf at his waist
I give him moonstones
He gives me shell & seaweeds
He comes from a distant city & I meet him
We will plant eggplants & celery together
He weaves me cloth
Many have brought the gifts
I use for his pleasure
silk, & green hills
& heron the color of dawn
My friend walks soft as a weaving on the wind
He backlights my dreams
He has built altars beside my bed
I awake in the smell of his hair & cannot remember
his name, or my own.
.
Diane di Prima, 1934-2020
“An Exercise in Love” from Pieces of a Song
© 1990 by Diane di Prima
Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash
